Earning Wings
by Kirashound
Summary: You technically only graduated on merit of potential and because Commander Erwin pulled a few strings. Levi doesn't know quite what to make of you; needless to say he's not happy about being roped in to training you on a bet. Levi X Reader. M for later
1. Meet the Captain

_**First AOT fanfic so please be nice. Levi X Reader. I tend to be very bad at keeping in character, but I promise I will try my best. I know this is only the first chapter, but please review; all comments are taken into account and any tips would be most welcome. Can't promise regular updates; very busy what with school and such.**_

Chapter 1: Meet the Captain

**Your POV**

It was cold that morning, and overcast, with a brusque wind in the trees and a light but incessant bone-chilling drizzle falling from the churning heavens above. His eyes weren't a help as he paced, slowly but deliberately, up and down the row of cadets who stood frozen in a crisp and rapidly becoming painful salute. It was hard for you to tell what color that they were-a mix of blues and grey, much like the current thunderous hue of the brewing storm above their heads-but one thing was for sure; 'friendly' 'caring' and 'pleasant' were _not_ the adjectives that immediately sprung to mind at the gelid deadpan glare as he stopped in front of you.

_Shit, I'm definitely screwed. _Wondering just what it was that you could possibly have done to deserve being singled out by the cold man, you straightened your posture even more.

"A bit stiff, Cadet (last)," he growled. "Do I frighten you?"

Somewhere between bed wetting and being held off the ground by a Titan that was planning to eat you. "No, Sir Captain Heichou!" You were impressed at yourself for keeping your voice steady. Wordlessly, still with the same unreadable expression as before, he reached down to the weapon's belt at his waist and pulled a combat knife from its sheath before holding it out to you by the blade with long elegant fingers. "Sir?"

"It's a knife, Cadet. I'm sure that similar were employed at your training in the academy, I expect? Use it!"

Your fingers closed around the wooden handle after a moment's hesitation. "Use-?" his reaction was like lightning; the next thing you knew he'd stiff armed you to the ground, affectively disarming you and leaving you sitting in a mud puddle as you stared up at him in awe, finally beginning to grasp what it was he'd expected you to do.

"Tch," not a confidence engendering reply to your total and quite miserable failure. "See me after address in my office, Cadet (last)." He walked away back down the line, leaving you speechless. Humanity's strongest soldier had assessed your skills and found you wanting; whatever came next would definitely not be good.

**Levi's POV**

It was two hours later that the hesitance laced knock finally came.

"Get your ass in here, Cadet (last)" I rasped, trying my best to sound as unfriendly as Humanly possible; considering my poor mood that had only soured all the more after reading the far more than merely lack luster report on her abilities, that wasn't difficult. It also didn't help that the thought of her standing outside of my office doors birthed wholly irrational butterflies in the pit of my stomach and made my heart beat jump as if I were running from a starving Titan. Sure, she was pretty with her large, almost doe-like (e/c) eyes and long, soft-looking (h/c) hair and sure she was 18, but damn it why was I even thinking about this!? I was pissed at myself for feeling what I did, I was pissed at her for even showing her face in the Corps. when by all rights of logic known to man she should never have graduated with her scores, I was pissed at the weather for it raining so much because rain meant mud and mud meant…mud, everywhere, and I was just pissed in general. I was about ready to start viscously chewing her out for making me wait two hours longer than I had to before I got the chance to chew her out about her utter and entirely fantastical failure that morning, but I bit it back when I realized that she'd been late only because she'd taken the time to clean the mud off of her uniform, dry it and press it before answering my summons-likely having been forewarned of my admittedly somewhat neurotic tendency towards cleanliness by another recruit, or Shitty Glasses, or, hell, even Erving-and the thought that she'd indulge me, even if it was entirely out of fear, filled me with a momentary and entirely nonsensical pleasure which quickly shriveled up and died as my mood returned to what it had been before.

"Sit!" I snarled; she sat, stiff backed, on the edge of the chair opposite my desk looking as if afraid it would blow up. "Your display this morning was far beyond disappointing, Cadet (last). Seeing it, one would have to conclude that you paid your way through the academy in order to be permitted to graduate at all! You were last in your class in every aspect; Fs across the bord! It's clearly evident that you're nothing more than a spoiled brat from Sina! Why the Hell did you join the Survey Corps?"

"Why?" Horrible images-the fall of Shiganshina, the Battle for Trost, or something worse I wasn't sure-seemed to flash in her eyes for a moment. "With all due respect Sir, my reasons are wholly my own."

This answer was unsatisfactory and it showed on my face; she blanched as I leapt to my feet with an annoyed grumble and began to pace like a caged animal. "You don't belong here; you're nothing but a liability! A danger! Useless and possessed of no skill at all, you put those of us who know our ass from our elbows in mortal danger simply with your presence on the battle field! You, Cadet (last), will be nothing but the death of your comrades! You should never have gotten it into your head to join this regiment!" Harsh, but true. "I'll give a final chance to prove yourself at least semi-capable tomorrow morning. If you fail again I'm having you transferred to Garrison; you'd be much better served drunk and patching the walls under Hannes!" _Though God only knows I don't want to see you anywhere NEAR Hannes, or any other man for that matter! That golden eyed drunkard…he's a friend of Yeagers and…then again, SHE'S friends with Yeager himself! But Yeagers just a bratty little shit who she's way too intelligent to get involved with! But sometimes senior officers get handsy….and with him always being drunk…what if he's a pervert! _Whoah, where the hell did most of that even come from? My own building horror at the scenario that my mind had put together with no permission from me at all was leaving me struggling to keep my face straight. Damn it! (name) was still sitting stiff in the chair as if pinned down by his gaze; her perfect form was shaking lightly and she looked almost on the verge of tears.

"I-I'm sorry, Sir! I'll show you that I am deserving of a place in this Corp. Lance Corporal Sir!"

"Improve your skills to that degree in a handful of hours? Good luck!" I scoffed.

"Don't be so hard on her, Levi." I looked up sharply; there stood Erwin. I frowned. Had I really been that distracted by her presence that I hadn't noticed him come in? This need to stop!

"This Cadet is worthless in every manner possible! I'm reassigning her tomorrow!"

"You can pass her off to another squad leader, but at your current rank, Lance Corporal, you only have to power to suggest that I transfer her to a different regiment." Erwin's voice had just enough condescension in it that it made me want to strangle him.

"Fine, then! I'm _**suggesting" **_I weighted the word with as much emphasis as I could,_** "**_that you reassign her to Garrison effective tomorrow morning! She needs to be in a Corp. more suited to her lack of…speak of the Devil, why are you still here Cadet (last)!?" That was all it took to free her from her frozen state; without saying a word she took off running through the door that Erwin had left open as fast as her long shapely legs could-_focus, damn it! _

"Can I ask you exactly why it is that you want to have Cadet (last) reassigned, Levi?" I turned to him in open disbelief.

"Why? What do you mean 'why'?" Even to my own ears my voice sounded incredulous. "How the hell did she even graduate?"

"To be entirely honest with you, she wouldn't have if I hadn't intervened and pulled some strings. She has potential."

"Maybe for disaster."

"She needs further training."

"It'll be obvious to everyone once you send her out into the field with them; who's the unlucky bastard you want to kill this badly?"

"Under pressure, she's one of the best fighters we have from the fresh recruits."

"Even Yeager is better than her."

"What would you say if I offered to make a bet with you, Levi."

"I don't engage in stupidity."

"Even when you seem so sure you'll win. If concerns Cadet (last)."

"What about her?" I hissed through gritted teeth.

"If she fails as badly as she did today tomorrow morning, you win and I'll reassign her to Garrison."

"And on the snowflake's chance in hell that I don't?"

"Like I said, she needs special training. If she even manages to touch you, I win and you give her that training."

"…" anything to be left alone, and there was certainly no way that I would loose, right? "Fine!" He left, closing the door to my office behind him. My head came to rest propped up on my elbow as I unleashed a heavy sigh. "What a headache." What would I do if the Church Mouse managed to roar?


	2. Won't be Made a Fool of

**Your POV**

"So what happened? What did he want?" Eren was the first to launch into the interrogation as everyone-all of who had been waiting in the dorms-crowded around you.

"He told me that I should leave the Scouts; that I didn't belong here and that I was dead weight. He said that he would reassign me tomorrow morning if I failed to hold up in the same exercise tomorrow. I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't have enough time to even begin to improve!"

"Of course you do, (name)! We'll help you train tonight, even if it means we all go without sleep. Right guys?" your friend's teal-green eyes shone brightly with conviction as he turned to the others, many of whom nodded without hesitation.

"We'll all help you."

"Yeah, that stunt he pulled was just unfair."

"That prick needs his ego popped."

"You're not getting thrown out; we won't let you fail!"

Touched, you smile widely. "Thanks, guys." You could only hope that the long night to come would be worth it.

**Levi's POV**

The sunlight filtering through the layer of clouds was watery and so was the ground; mist clung to the tips of the drowning grass as I sloshed across the field towards to line of recruits, helpless to prevent mud from landing on my white pants. To my annoyance, Erwin and some of the other squad leaders, including Shitty Glasses-as if my day could possibly get any worse-had come to watch what was assured to be her latest spectacular failure. I made my way slowly down the line, noticing that a few of the recruits-Yeager Kirstein and their shit-eating friends-looked as if they hadn't slept at all. I would normally have pondered why that would be, but I decided I simply didn't care. By the time I reached her she was trembling. I said nothing as I handed over the knife just as I had the day before and immediately followed up with a strike meant to knock it from her hand; to my surprise she blocked and stumbled back, but managed to regain her balance and lunged for me. The blade flashed in the morning light as I side stepped fluidly and the momentum of her strike sent her sprawling; from there disarming her was easy. Re-sheathing the blade, I stalked over to where Erwin stood with an unfathomable grin on his face.

"There, I played your damn game and won! Get her out of here!"

"Won? You didn't win, shorty!" I rounded on Shitty Glasses, fully prepared to rip her a new one, but the next words out of her mouth stopped me cold. "You're bleeding."

_What? _Only then did the slight stinging sensation register; I lifted a hand to my face and the tips of my fingers came away red from contact with the thin cut across my cheek. She'd cut me, somehow! Something even Titans hadn't done in a while. Unbelievable! How in hell? But it didn't really matter now, I was stuck. "Cadet (last)! Shitty Glasses will finish up here; I expect your ass in my office the minute that address is through!" I was covered in mud and just couldn't take it anymore, adding to my already bad mood at the prospect of actually having lost against all odds! Practically sprinting to my office, I tossed my mud splattered uniform into a wash basin before the stains could set, took a quick shower to get any remaining mud and rain off of my body, and changed into my spare. Sitting down at my desk, I had just finished straightening my cravat when a small frightened knock sounded on the other side of my door. "Get in here."

**Your POV**

"Get in here." His voice was flat this time, utterly deadpan of any emotion, and this scared you more than anything. Hesitating for as long as you dared, you finally reached out and opened the door, being very careful not to allow it to creak on its old hinges. He sat behind his desk once again, seemingly absorbed in the stack of paperwork sitting in front of him; he'd changed out of his muddy uniform into a clean one-considering who he was, it didn't come as anything close to a surprise that he was in possession of a spare, and likely more than one at that-and had concealed the cut that you had accidently given him with a bandage. His short black hair was slightly damp, as if he had just taken a shower. You stood there trembling in terror at the thought of the verbal thrashing you were likely to receive at any moment, not daring to so much as flinch until the silence became too much for you to bare.

"H-Heichou, Sir-?"

"The chair is there for a reason, Cadet," he interrupted you, gesturing to said chair positioned before his desk without looking up. Taking the hint, you sat gingerly down on the very edge as if in fear it might spontaneously combust beneath you; setting down his pen a few moments later, he finally looked up at you with the usual stolid expression on his extremely handsome face. "You look like your about to be court-marshaled for high treason."

"I-I-I'm being r-reassigned to Garrison, Sir?"

"No." Emotionless. Expressionless. He propped up his chin on one hand, long elegant fingers tracing along the perimeter of the bandage on his face almost absently. "You cut me; an impressive feet even it was a freak accident. This means two things; One, you remain in the Survey Corps and Two, I lost the damn bet."

"Bet, Sir?"

"With Erwin; that if you managed to land even a single hit on me I would personally train you to realize the potential that the Commander sees in you." Train you? Oh no! The man was a great fighter-the title of Humanities strongest was more than deserved-but he terrified you. It had been bad enough that he was one of the Squad Leaders-along with Hanji and some others-that had been overseeing the recruits of the 104th. But this? This was a disaster! Seeming to almost read your mind, he sighed. "This won't be easy for either of us, especially considering the fact that I have been unfair to you for…reasons of my own," his expression didn't waver, but he removed his gaze as if he could no longer trust himself to look at you for fear of what his eyes might reveal. "We can both agree that our first impressions need a great deal of work."

"Agreed, Sir!"

"I didn't believe it when Erwin said you had potential, but after today I'm starting to. So it doesn't matter if you don't have aptitude like Recruit Ackerman or a single-minded to the point of being near suicidal like Recruit Yeager, but if you are willing to work for it-to listen to what I tell you, obey without question, and _work _for it as if your life depends on it, which it very may well in the not so distant future, than I swear to you that I will do all in my power to make you one of the best soldiers on the field. Do you trust me, Cadet (last)?"

"Of course, Lance Corporal Sir!"

His lips twitched in what might have been a small smile, but it was gone too quickly for you to be sure. "Good. We'll get along fine."


	3. 3DMG and Head Trauma

**Your POV**

It was already lunch by the time you got back; a smile plastered to your face with relief, you got your food and went to sit with your friends. The first of them to catch sight of you was Armin, whose blue eyes went wide.

"She's back!" The others immediately focused their attention on you as you squeezed onto the bench between Berthold and Jean.

"You actually got him in the face! Any further up and you'd have gotten that bastard right in the eye!" Reiner snickered.

"If she'd done that she really would be dead! It's a good thing the knife didn't go any further up." Jean said.

"Wouldn't be a problem if Lance Corporal Dust Fairy wasn't so damn short!"

"What was that, Cadet Braun? I didn't quite hear you correctly?" That was, of course, the moment that your superior had decided to arrive on the scene.

"H-He didn't say anything Sir!" Armin squawked.

"Y-Yeah, he was just…I mean we didn't!"

"Oh? Well, the next time I over hear you 'saying nothing' the whole lot of you little fucks will be doing stable duty until horse shit starts coming out of your ears, am I clear?" A small squeak was the mutual reply. Turning his gaze to you, the anger in his eyes cooled slightly. "Sundown for training; you're excused from curfew for that reason. Don't forget your 3DMG Gear, we'll start from there." With that, he turned on his heel and was gone.

"Training?" the all refocused on you. "What did he mean by training?"

"Well, thing is…you all know that I really shouldn't have graduated don't you?"

"You weren't _that _bad."Eren scoffed.

"I got Fs in everything! In Trost, I almost got eaten after I got tangled up in the cables of my gear, which I had no idea how to use! I only graduated because Commander Erwin pulled some strings on my behalf, saying that I had potential. Apparently he isn't the only one who believes that now."

"That doesn't explain the training."

"Well…apparently that's because of a bet that he lost against the Commander."

"A bet?"

"You're kidding."

"How unprofessional."

"So," Jean asked, "he got roped into giving you one on one training because he lost?"

"Yes."

"And you're ok with this?"

"I don't want to be a liability anymore; I don't want anyone to die because I can't fight for myself. And the Lance Corporal…he's so strong. So if anyone can teach me…"

"But doesn't he terrify you?" Sasha cut in.

"…He isn't actually as bad as I thought he was. He even apologized-." You were interrupted by a second full plate being set down in front of you; turning around you were met with the grinning face of Hanji.

"I heard all about what Erwin managed to get him to do; he's going to keep you up all night and beat on you, so you'll definitely need your energy. I talked the kitchens into giving you extra portions at every meal."

"But I-!"

"No buts. Trust me, you'll need it." Deaf, as usual, to your protests the Squad Leader made her way back to her table at the front of the room. How were you ever going to manage to eat all of this?

"…Hey guys, anyone want to help me out here?"

**Levi's POV**

The sun was setting by the time I caught sight of her coming through the trees, long (h/c) hair tied back and gear at her belt. Slowing to a stop in the clearing, she looked around in confusion."

"Up here, Cadet." Looking up with a slight start, surprise registered on her face at the sight of me standing on a branch about twenty feet above her head. "You're a solider, not a fish, so instead of gawking at me get up here so we can get started!" I had a great deal of paper work that I had to finish, as per the norm, and had planned for tonight to be a short lesson. Of course, the fatal flaw in said plan was that I had forgotten exactly who I was dealing with and had allowed myself to assume that she was possessed on at least a basic knowledge of the use of the 3D gear. The next thing I new, the tree was shaking violently as if taken by a strong wind and the hapless girl was badly tangled in the cables which had affectively bound her to the broad trunk. _How does one even manage-? You have to put EFFORT into being that bad!_ I thought as I descended from my perch and walked over with a heavy sigh. "What happened, Cadet (last)?"

"I-I'm not sure, Sir! I don't know how to use my gear!"

"…That's rather evident." I drawled, reaching up and managing to yank one of the hooks at the end of the cables out of the trunk without a great deal of effort; in the end, the tangle looked a whole lot worse than it actually was, and within five or six minutes I had managed to free her. "I hope it doesn't offend you that, from this point forward, I'm going to assume you don't know jack-shit."

"I'm afraid it's true, Sir." Once again, she looked like she was going to cry.

"You only waste more of my time by crying, so don't even think about it. If I see so much as a single tear, it's stable duty." I growled, attaching the hooks of her gear to a low hanging branch. "I'm sure that this exercise is something that you've done before?"

"Yes Sir."

"Good. We'll do this all night every night until you can stay up straight, flip over, go left and right, move diagonally, sleep, eat, read a book and do whatever the hell else baring taking a shit without even thinking, understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Let's get started then," the moment her feet left the ground she went face first into the dirt. WHOMP! "Again" I barked, though the clearly painful sound made me wince. Same result. "Again." Same result. "Again!" After twenty or so more times the quote about insanity being the repition of something and expecting the result to change was running through my head and she was bruised and bloody. "I already made a promise that I wouldn't give up on you, so no matter how damn painful this is or how badly you may beg and plead to stop we'll do this over and over again until you get it! _Try again!" _In the end it was a short lesson, but only because one too many falls left her with a concussion. …I had paperwork to do.

**Your POV**

You woke up the next morning with a splitting head ache to find yourself very late for address. Dressing quickly in your uniform and ignoring the vertigo that washed over you, you ran outside and sprinted across the courtyard towards the line of recruits, making it-out of breath-to your place just as the Lance Corporal was coming down the line. He stopped in front of you, surprise and, was that concern?, momentarily flashing across his face.

"F-forgive me, s-sir! I over slept!" You wheezed.

"What are you doing out here, Cadet? Go back to bed, that's an order." His reply was calm, if a bit annoyed.

"But-."

"You suffered a concussion last night; those idiots should have kept you in the infirmary as I suggested rather than sending you back to your dorm. Kirstein!"

"Sir?"

"Take her back to the dorm and make sure that she goes to bed; the last thing I want it for her to inflame that injury. Once you've done that get your ass back here or I'll have you tending the horses for a month, Horse Face! Am I clear?"

"Crystal, sir." Breaking rank, he walked over and put a hand on your back to help balance and guide you. "What's with you, (name)? We told you not to come last night and you agreed that you wouldn't. When we left you were asleep."

"I…don't remember that. The night cuts out after I hit my head."

"A concussion will do that, which it why you need to rest. If you're not careful, you'll make yourself worse!"

"Alright alright, I'll go back to bed!" You flopped down onto your sheets as you said this, the sudden movement making you horribly dizzy. "Agh! Why is the room spinning!"

"A concussion. Cuts and bruises all over you. What happened last night?" You looked up in surprise at the sudden question. "What Hanji said about him planning to beat on you-."

"Was a bad joke. He was actually very kind, for him. Every other word was encouragement, not that it helped me improve."

"Then how did you end up hurt so badly?"

"Do you remember back in the academy, when they first introduced the 3DMG gear?"

"Yes."

"That's all that we did. I guess that I just fell one too many times." You admitted. "What?"

"It's just…he looked almost worried about you when he…carried you into the infirmary. That's the first time I've ever seen him with any real expression. And you were just loopy."

"Loopy?"

"Yeah, but I'm sure it was the concussion talking."

"What did I say?"

"Some stupid shit; something about his eyes and how you thought he was handsome and something about a crush and then it devolved into what was either Chinese or Gibberish. Not remembering any of this?"

"Nope." The honest truth, but that didn't stop you from turning bright red. Jean still looked sort of troubled-he'd developed quite the affection for you after giving up on Mikasa-but seemed to except your explaination.

"You always hear about those stories; senior officers using their power to take advantage of-."

"You do realize just who it is you're talking about, right?" you cut in. "The Lance Corporal can't stand to have dirt on or near him. Do you really think he'd stand for it on his record or reputation?"

"Good point. I never would have pegged you for being into old men anyway."

"Cute Jean" you snapped before grumbling "he isn't _that _old." A pause. "Shouldn't you be getting back?"

"Yeah, you're right. Stable duty is the last thing I want." He walked out, closing the door quietly behind him. Pulling a book from your things you settled down to read, and it wasn't long before you'd fallen asleep.

**Levi's POV**

Later that night, at around sunset, a knock on my office door broke the almost hour-long silence that had descended on my room after I had at last succeeded in kicking Shitty Glasses out and if she'd return to pester me more God help me-!

"WHAT Hanji!?" The door cracked open slightly to reveal (e/c) eyes peering sheepishly back at me. Pleasant surprise to see her mixed with annoyance at her and myself; Christ, hadn't I given her orders to stay in bed? Making my voice as gentle as I could, I asked "something the matter Cadet (last)?"

Seeming to gain confidence now that she'd been given assurance my anger was not directed towards her, she slid her body fully into my office and shut the door quietly behind her. "Jean told me…that I said some things I don't remember saying after I hit my head last night."

I managed to keep my face straight, but my fingers tightened to white knuckled around my pen for a moment. Yes, she'd certainly talked the night prior; every word about me until it had dissolved into something unintelligible. It had made my heart pound, even while knowing I couldn't take any of it seriously. "Head trauma, Cadet; love to talk, but you can't trust a word out of its mouth. Best to put it out of mind."

"I'd still like to apologize; injured or not, my words were improper."

_Improper? So are the thoughts that spring, unbidden, to my mind when I think of you; of your unclothed form squirming beneath me, those soft lips whispering my name. Only difference is, I'm fully aware of what I'm doing. _I sighed. "Forget it. Go back to bed and don't even think about pulling this morning's stunt again."

"But Sir, what about my training!?"

"Give me a note from one of those idio…I mean doctors giving you a clean bill of health, and then we'll resume right away."

"But-!"

"No buts, Cadet! Another hit too soon and you could end up with permanent damage! That could put you out forever; I trust that you don't want that?"

"Of course not Sir!"

Silence for a moment while the stubborn little thing refused to move. Against my better judgement, I found myself speaking again, "how about I make you a deal."

"A deal, Sir?"

"Can you even walk in a straight line at the moment?" reluctantly, she shook her head. "Under normal circumstances, are you able to balance on one foot?"

"Yes, Sir."

"If you rest without leaving your dorm other than for meals, then on the day that you can show me you're able to balance on one foot for three minutes without falling we'll resume your training."

Her eyes widened slightly and she smiled, unaware of the butterflies that had sprung up in my stomach. "Really Sir?"

"You have my word." I could only hope that she'd figure out the trick to balancing in the gear before the next concussion came around.

Two weeks later…

WHAM!

"Again."

WHAM!

"Again." Here we are, two weeks later-though admittedly most of that time was due to her concussion-and yet there was no improvement at all. It was becoming clear that the hapless Cadet had no idea of exactly what it was that she was supposed to be doing, and was already more than apparent that she wouldn't be figuring it out on her own any time soon. With a sigh, I released my hold on the cable and lowered her back to the ground before unhooking her gear and replacing it with my own; she stared at me in silence as I lifted myself into the air and remained entirely, and effortlessly, steady. "Part of the process is learning to balance, but most of it has to do with knowing how to properly distribute your body weight; to adjust instantly and precisely to prevent yourself from wobbling, because a wobble turns into a tip and a tip turns into a face plant, which you've learned from experience. Keep centered and stay relaxed; if you tense up for fear of falling your attempt is doomed from the start." Feet back on the ground, I looked over at her. "If I hold you upright, do you think you can at least start to figure it out?"

"I…I think so, Sir."

"Good, let's get to it then." Five minutes later the set up was back in place. "Once more." This time my firm but gentle hold on her hips-which I thankfully managed to distract myself from thinking about-kept her upright when she left the ground. "Now, close your eyes and focus. Try and isolate exactly what it feels like to be perfectly balanced, and strive to maintain that state at all times." I carefully removed my hold, ready to catch her if it turned out to be the only thing holding her upright,and stepped back. "You're doing it." Her eyes flew open in shock and when she saw that I was no longer holding her up her control faltered. "Focus, don't loose it!" The wobbling stopped, and though she still looked for from steady it was at least something to build off of. "Now the question is can you manage to get up there on your own? But that's something to reserve for tomorrow; it's almost midnight, I have paperwork and you have cleaning duty tomorrow with the rest of the Recruits. Time to call it quits."

"Of course, Sir. Good night Lance Corporal." I watched her run off, still somehow energetic despite a full night of rough training. Unable to prevent my expression from softening now that she couldn't see me, my lips curled upwards into a rare smile.

"Bien dormir, mon ange." My soft words were carried away by the soft night wind as I made my own way back to headquarters, pushing open the door to my office and sighing in exhausted annoyance at the sight of the paperwork sitting atop my desk in a teetering pile; this was going to be a long night. I brewed a pot of tea quickly, not caring what it tasted like as long as it kept me awake a few hours longer. Silence pressed in around me after that, broken only by the scratching of my pen, the clicking on the glass on its saucer and the slight fluttering of turning pages. Four full pots and hundreds-maybe even thousands-of signatures later the letters were swarming around my head like angry bees and was near delusional from lack of sleep, but at least I was done with my work for the moment. Collapsing gratefully onto my bed, I found myself looking forward to seeing Cadet (last) that coming morning; my last thoughts were of her before drifting off the sleep.


	4. Scars

**Chapter 4: Scars**

**Ok, two author's notes for this one; I realized that there will eventually be a good deal of French so I'm going to add in some translations to it at either the beginning of the chapter or the end. What he said last chapter translates roughly to "Good night, my angel." **

**Second, this is where it starts to get into the 'rated M' ness; violence and abuse trigger possibilities so just know that much. Also, I made up a little bit of Levi's back story pertaining as to how exactly it was he ended up on the streets in the first place. **

**Levi's POV**

"Cadet Hoover, windows."

"Yes Sir."

"Cadet Braun, sweep the floors."

"Yes Sir."

"Cadet Yeager, Cadet Arlert, Cadet Ackerman; stable duty.

"…Ugh-ouch!" Yeager yelped, looking at Mikasa reproachfully for having kicked him before he could say anything to provoke me into giving them something worse as punishment.

"What he means, Lance Corporal, is 'yes Sir'." I'd known for quite a while that she didn't have any love for me, and the reinforcement of her frigid tone almost made me smirk.

"Cadet (last), you'll handle dusting in the library. Cadet Horse Face will help you."

"Yes Sir." Sure, I was giving her the easiest job of the bunch, but it wasn't because I had a soft spot for her…. She had two left feet, which made sweeping troublesome, windows involved the use of the 3DMG gear which I didn't quite trust her to be able to safely operate yet, and as for stable duty…I couldn't do that to her. …Soft spot, maybe, but I was definitely GOING soft. _Damn it._ As the recruits of the 104th filed away to their respective chores I made my way back to my own office. I'd been neglecting my usual rigorous cleaning schedule due the one on one training with (name) and the influx of paperwork I'd recently been buried in, and though to all others it still looked immaculately clean the thin layer of dust was making my OCD act up. I passed about an hour of time cleaning, and only once my office once again smelled strongly of bleach and I could see my reflection winking back at me from all directions did I return to make my rounds, just in case the little shits had decided to slack off while the cat was awake. The stable was, at best, mediocre, but in all honesty I hadn't been expecting much to begin with. Braun had managed to get the head of the brook wedged in between the wall and an antique amoire and was having difficulty extracting it; upon being asked to explain himself, he confessed that he'd been attempting to remove cobwebs from the corners of the ceiling. Twenty minutes of assisting him later, i found myself in the library. (name) was dutifully dusting the ancient books as horse face sat in one corner with his nose buried in one of the pages.

"Kirstein!" He all but jumped out of his skin and dropped the book as he leapt to his feet. "Mind telling me exactly what you're doing, Cadet?"

"Reading, Sir."

"Reading? Where I'm impressed that you can, is that what you were supposed to be doing?"

"N-No, Sir. I'm supposed to be helping (name) clean."

"Not anymore; Yeager and his stupid friends need help in the stables. Get down there you little shit!" He fled the room so quickly one would have thought I'd lit his pants on fire. Feeling eyes on my back, I turned to find her looking down at me from her position balanced atop a precarious teetering step ladder. "Got something to say, Cadet?" still crisp with authority, but my voice had softened slightly now that I was speaking to her.

"It was my fault, Sir. I didn't need any help- this is a one person job, really-I could finish the job on my own so I told him to sit down."

"And it's his damn fault that he listened to you, which is the reason that he's on stable duty." I replied staunchly, looking around at the room. "Not as clean as it would be if I had done it, though admittedly there are few in this world that such can be said for. You've certainly a better hold on the basics of cleaning that most of your shit-brain friends, but there's still a thing or two I could teach you on the subject. Your Titan training, however, supersedes that. Finish up quickly and get some rest before you go and out to train with the others. You need to stay in top shape for our training later."

"Lance Corporal." I looked up to find Olou standing in the doorway; I raised an eyebrow at him in expectation of an explaination. "Commander Erwin wants to see you."

"I'll be there right away." Turning back to her I said, "usual time and place," before making my way out of the room and heading to the Commander's office. Inside I found Erwin sitting behind his desk; standing before him was a tall and wiry man who reeked of being filthy rich. I couldn't help but make a face. "You called?"

"Ah, yes. This is Sir Hendrick, a powerful noble from within Wall Sina."

"I can tell; why's he here?" I didn't bother even trying to be polite; with my past, if there was one thing I hated more than Titans, it was the rich…except for her.

"You're aware of Cadet (last)'s location?"

A rather strange question. "Of course; all of the 104th are on cleaning duty today. You know that's one thing I never fail to personally oversee."

"Can you call her in here, please?"

I hesitated, something didn't feel right about this. "Can I ask why?"

"This is her fiancé by arranged marriage. It would appear that, though the contract was originally annulled when she joined the military, it had been redrawn. He'll be staying here at the barracks with her until the process of discharging her is complete."

_Discharge?_ It felt as if I'd just been crushed by a Titan; all of the breath was knocked out of me as my blood ran cold. _What? _No, this couldn't…it was a nightmare, surely! But I was powerless to stop it, and even if I could what was the point? I couldn't have her anyway, could I? Not without whispers of impropriety chasing us to the dales, surely. He'd treat her well, give her the life that she deserves; to live like a queen safe and far from Titans and the Battle Field. I had to believe in that. "I'll…collect her immediately Commander." I turned on my heel and made my way quickly back to the library. "Cadet?" She turned, a look of mild concern on her face at the dead tone of my voice. "Your fiancé is here to see you." I saw it then, the flash of sheer terror in her eyes, and felt my lips pull down into a small frown but I said nothing. As we advanced down the hall she became more and more nervous until she was practically pressing herself into my back; she tried to hide behind me as I pushed the door of the office open, but could only manage it for so long. The look on her face as her eyes fell on his was familiar and it made me sick to my very core; I'd seen that same look many times, years ago as a child, when my Mother looked at my Father. And that was when I knew the truth; she was a Princess trapped in a tower, and he was the Dragon keeping her there. It all became so clear; she'd escaped to the military but now he'd come to drag her back into Hell. The bastard had abused her, and he just couldn't let her go. Worse yet, there was nothing I could do.

Days passed and her sentence grew closer. The smile vanished, and the light slowly died from her beautiful expressive eyes. Every night she'd have new bruises; her attendance at training became irregular before stopping all together. I took it on myself any excuse to be in the same room as her, knowing that my presence staved off the beast if only for a few hours. But it wasn't long before he caught on to exactly what it was that I was doing, and I found myself confronted as I had been what one could only describe as snooping around their bedroom door.

"You're very nosey, Lance Corporal." He said, looming over me; not a hard thing to do as I was, admittedly, of a somewhat short stature. Unphased, I tilted my head up and fixed him in my trademark gelid glare and growled

"the well being of one of my soldiers in my business."

"As of two days from now, you'll have one less soldier to worry about."

"So I've been told," forcing my lip not to curl into a snarl as I said this, I caught a brief glimpse of her defeated form slumped over on the side of the bed before the door was slammed in my face. The sound of a slap and a quiet whimper. I couldn't bear to stand silent witness to her pain; forcing down the impulse to kick down the door and murder the man then and there I turned tail and ran down the hall, already spiraling down into memories that I'd long prayed to whatever God existed were forgotten.

_The tiny room was dark, the air filled with a haze of tobacco smoke and reeking of stale alcohol. Bottles of cheap liquor incased in crumpled brown bags lay scattered about on the floor, their contents spilling out to stain the already filth encrusted carpet. They were arguing again, their voices echoing like thunder as the little boy cowering in the closet lowered his head into his knees, raven bangs falling limply into grey eyes that streamed with tears. A stumbling drunkard bear of a man and a petite woman who had once been beautiful, but her hair was now lank and tangled and a film of yellowing bruises covered her face; screaming at each other as he hid, trembling and helpless, trapped in the waking nightmare that was all he'd ever known. A mother that loved him. A father that hated them both. A brutal crash as the man slapped her, sending her sprawling through the top of a glass table, which shattered. Empty bottle clutched in hand, he fell upon her; the horrifying sound of breaking bone that would haunt him for many years to come, harden his heart and turn it to ice, rang out through the hot air as blood stained the carpet which had once, long ago, been white. Silence. Then, heavy breathing and plodding footsteps advanced on the closet, and the door was yanked open to reveal his father towering above him with a Demonized version of his own grey eyes. A giant paw descended on the scruff of his neck, pulling the child from his sanctuary and making the scars that decorated his body-cigarette burns and razor slashes-flash silver in the sickly light._

_ "NO!"_

"H-Heichou!?" I snapped back to reality with a searing pain in left hand; it was bleeding and my knuckles were studded with slivers of silvery glass where I'd put my hand through the mirror in my bedroom. Looking through the door into my adjoining office I found the state of that room to be even worse; the desk was over turned, my clothing was everywhere, and crumpled paper, torn fabric and little shards of what had once been a china tea set were strewn about the floor. I was panting heavily, my entire body shaking, and from what I could see of my distorted reflection I'd gone very pale. From the look that she was giving me, I had no doubt that there was something evil shinning in my eyes.

"Petra."

"I-I…I just…" she took a step backwards, looking as if terrified I would leap at her and attempt to slid her throat. "I'll give you this paperwork later. You should go to the infirmary Sir! You're bleeding badly!" With that, she ran for her life. In the silence that followed, the sound of my blood sluggishly dripping into the small puddle that had formed beside my feet registered on my ears. Blood. The scent. The taste. I wanted it; a raging thirst for it like I hadn't felt since I wandered the streets like a rabid cur roared up inside me, and I knew exactly who it was that I would kill. What I had to do to save her, to make sure that she was safe. To do all in my power to see to it that she didn't meet my mother's fate. I didn't enjoy taking Human life, I never had. But I would kill without remorse or mercy when I had to, and some people…some people just needed to be put down.


	5. Kill for You

**Chapter 5 – Kill for You**

**Lots of Levi POV, I know but it will get back to your POV soon. The ****_italic_**** numbers are for the translation notes.**

**_1: _****It's going to be alright.**

**2: He can't hurt you anymore**

**3: You're beautiful; I love you, and will protect you**

**That's it for this chapter's translation notes :3**

**Levi's POV (again, I'm sorry)**

I bided my time; it was midnight when I made my move, knowing full well that even the lightest of sleepers would be too far gone to be disturbed from their dreams by the ruckus I was sure to create. The door gave way beneath my foot, my brutal kick sending it flying wide to bang against the opposite wall and leave a dent where the knob had made contact with the paint-coated wood. With a shriek of fright she curled into a trembling ball and began to sob, and the sight of it made my vision go red; I grabbed him by the throat and threw him against the wall, pinning him easily without paying any heed to his struggles, granted the strength of a Titan by the force of my rage.

"I know what you've been doing; what you were doing before!" I snarled, driving my fist into his face and breaking his nose with a satisfying crack, not caring that my own injury was torn open again beneath the bandages or that my own blood was mixing with his through the course fabric. "Did it feel good when you laid your giant disgusting paws on her, you bastard!" I pulled back enough to drive my knee into his gut, forcing him to double over and wretch. "Did it feel good when you made her cry?" I slammed my elbow into the top of his head, sending him sprawling on the floor. "Did it feel good when you tortured her?" I planted my foot in his back, keeping him pinned and crushing him to the floor. "People like you disgust me! Can't you see that she's beautiful? A person with a heart, with feelings and dreams? How dare you attempt to break her! How dare you treat her as if she were an object that belongs to you! Did you really think that you'd get away with this? You'll pay the ultimate price for such insolence tonight!" Each snarled word I drove my foot into his side, feeling flesh and bone give way beneath me as ribs snapped and blood flew from his mouth. I could see it on his face, the same terror that she probably looked at him with as he beat her. It filled me with a sick glee; in the mirror, I could see my eyes a fire with a blood lust unseen even on the field of battle. "You've damaged what I've decided to claim as mine; let your death serve as a warning of the fate that will befall everyone who even so much as considers laying a finger on (name)!" Grabbing him roughly by the hair I hauled him up off the floor. "Stay!" I barked at her trembling figure as I dragged the other man out into the night and towards the trees. "I bet a Noble bastard like you has never seen a real live Titan up close, have you?" I jeered, making a course for Hanji's Titan pens. I threw him towards the ladder leading up to an observation deck of a pen containing three 4 meters, who were making their way over to investigate the source of the noise. "Climb," I hissed, prodding the tip of my knife into his back; he scurried up the ladder with blinding speed and I followed, pulling myself up and bending him over the rail; the Titans had gathered below us now, looking up but not moving; it were almost as if they could sense my intensions. "Look at them; real, live Titans like you pigs in Sina claim not to be dangerous. Tell me, do they look dangerous?

"Y-Yes!"

"Are you sure?"

"Y-Yes!"

"Why don't you get A CLOSER LOOK!" I pushed him, sending him tumbling over the railing with a shrill scream. The Titans fell on him immediately, silencing the screams with the sounds of ripping flesh, my own wicked laughter surprising me as I watched them eat in morbid fascination. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I turned to make my way back down off the deck and froze. There she stood, ghostly in her thin white nightgown, staring up at me with an empty look that chilled me. _Shit. How much did she see._ I half-climbed half-jumped down the ladder and ran to her, catching her thin form as her knees gave out and she collapsed, enclosing her in a warm embrace and holder her up as best I could as she clung to me as if she were drowning, shivering in the cold. Tears quickly soaked through the thin cotton fabric of the shirt of my uniform as anguished cries were rent from her perfect lips, each sound tearing at my heart. I quickly removed the jacket of my uniform, draping it over her pointed shoulders; she wrapped herself in it, surrounding herself in my scent and pressing herself tighter against my chest; I could feel her heart beat against mine, rapid as a caged bird's. "(name), you're safe now. You're safe." She was trembling, too terrified to understand anything that I was saying, but her whimpering quieted at the vibration of my voice as I slipped into French, doing my best to transform my voice into a low comforting purr. (_1)_ "Ça va bien se passer. (_2)_ Il a ne peut pas plus te faire de mal. (_3_) Tu es belle; Je t'aime. Je te protégerai." It wasn't long before the trembling ceased and she fell asleep with her head resting on my shoulder. Lifting her up in my arms, I headed back towards Head Quarters, walking through the quiet halls to nestle her safely amidst the sheets of my bed before curling up beside her. But tonight would not hold any sleep for me; I wasn't a fool. The disappearance of the bastard wouldn't go unnoticed, and what I'd done would surely have a consequence.


	6. Devotion

**Chapter 6 – Devotion**

**1 – I love you, sleep well**

**Your POV**

Being free at last from the shadow that had plagued you for years seemed like a pleasant dream conjured up by your despairing mind until you came to full awareness tucked lovingly into an unfamiliar bed, still wrapped in the jacket heavy with his comforting scent. It all came back to you; the door of the room flying open to reveal your savior, your tormentor being dragged away, the way that he had looked atop the deck, silloheted against the light of the full moon, all raven hair and silver eyes like a knight standing over the corpse of a slain dragon. He'd saved your life, of that much you were certain, and then he'd held you against him, looking pained by your tears as he'd calmed you best he could. But…where was he? The sun was barley up, or was it setting? You couldn't tell through the curtains drawn across the window. But whatever the time, something had awakened you.

"DON'T ATTEMPT TO LIE! DO YOU REALLY THINK YOUR RANK CAN SAVE YOU!?" The unfamiliar voice made you jump and turn towards the door to the bedroom, left slightly ajar. You crept towards it, careful not to allow the floor boards to creak and give away your presence to whoever was outside.

"I already told you, I have no idea what you're talking about." His voice was instantly recognizable. Pressing closer to the crack in the door, you recognize the Lance Corporal's office on the other side. He sat behind his desk, Hanji and the Commander on either side of him an unfamiliar man wearing the symbol of the military police interrogating him.

"Someone had to have pushed him into that pen!"

"Pushed? Ever heard of slipping?" he drawled back. "That observation deck, at the fault of this reckless idiot who claims the Titan's recognize her or something," a trademark annoyed gesture in Hanji's direction, "that observation deck is far from safe. Did you ever think for a moment that, as over privileged fools are prone to doing, he disregarded repeated warnings not to wander around after curfew and fell in himself.

"DON'T-!"

"Regardless of whether or not this was an intentional killing or a tragic accident, the Lance Corporal had no hand in it. He was with myself and Squad Leader Zoe all night, planning for the Legion's next expedition outside the walls."

"And he never once left? Not even for a moment?" the investigator looked skeptical.

"Not once. Now, unless you'd like to try accusing all three of us of feeding him to the research I suggest you leave. Now."

"…Very well. We'll finish up our investigation by the end of the week. If a single speck of evidence-!"

"GET OUT!" You'd never heard Commander Erwin raise his voice before and, from the look of surprise on her face, Hanji hadn't either. Levi, however, looked as unruffled as usual. Once the investigator was gone, the blonde turned to the raven with a stern look on his face. "She's awake. We'll talk later." He walked out, a troubled looking Hanji following reluctantly after. Once they were gone, you pushed the door open and stepped out into the room as he rose to his feet.

"I thought that bastard would never leave," he grumbled, both looking and sounding tired. "You should head to dinner; you're likely starving, and your moronic friends are probably worried for you. On top of that, I could still be dragged away in cuffs at any moment." Brushing a strand of long (h/c) hair out of your face, he bent and quickly pressed his lips to yours in a brief, chaste kiss. "If you hurry, you can still change without being too late."

"Thank you, Sir."

"About that," he said with a small smile, his warm thumb caressing your cheek. "When we're alone, please just call me Levi, (name)."

"Thank you, Levi." He nodded, turning and vanishing into the adjoining bedroom as you set off towards your dorm. Entering the room, you were surprised to see Mikasa sitting on your bed, waiting for you.

"Where have you been?" she demanded quietly as you removed the jacket, folding it carefully and placing it on your bed, and then changed into your day clothes.

"It's…a long story and not important. Maybe I'll explain later." You left the room quickly, not noticing that, rather than following you, your friend made a bee-line for the jacket. Too big for you; only a few inches too long, but clearly meant for someone more muscular; a man. It gave off a faint scent of tea and bleach. She frowned. Something definitely wasn't right, but she'd worry about it later. Replacing the jacket exactly as she had found it to avoid suspicion, she got to her feet and followed you out.

**3****rd**** Person (I didn't know what to do here, I couldn't figure out who's POV was best to use at this moment. Hopefully this only happens once)**

"Commander…you…don't think that he actually could have done that, do you? I know he has a temper, but surely he'd never go that far." Hanji stood in Erwin's office three hours later, an expression somewhere between worry and fear on her face; it was most unlike her.

"Do you think Levi is capable of murder, Hanji?" the Commander questioned calmly, not looking up from what he was doing.

"I…he wasn't with us…we weren't…you covered for him, Sir. So…do you think he's capable of it?"

"No," he set down his pen with an audible snap, "I know he's capable of it, and this wouldn't be the first time that he's taken a Human life."

"W-What!?"

"Do you know anything of how Levi came to be in the military to begin with?"

"No, Sir. I like the think that we're friends, but…he doesn't exactly talk much."

"He doesn't like to talk about it, understandably; as far as I know, he's only ever told one other person, me, when he was 18. His life was…it can only be described as Hell. The house was filthy; the father a drunkard, the mother a broken woman. They argued a lot; always screaming; the Father would beat the Mother and use him as an ash tray and whet stone. When he was 10 years old he was forced to watch as his mother was beat to death with an empty bottle, and the Father would have killed him too had he not passed out drunk. They say he choked to death on his own vomit, but that doesn't explain the plastic they found jammed down his throat."

"Plastic?"

He nodded grimly. "The broken pieces of a child's toy."

"You think-?"

"He never gave me a straight answer when I asked him, but I assume he did." Erwin replied. "He ended up on the street after that, running away from the shattered remains of what had never really been a home at all. He lived in the underground, haunting the streets between Miria and Rose and doing what he had to in order to scrape by. He describes himself during that time as an animal, but that isn't true. An animal, much like a Titan, follows instinct; nature's laws. They feed on the weak to make themselves stronger. But he did the opposite. He took in two other children; protecting and caring for them like an older brother would his younger siblings. I'm not sure what lead to his hatred of the Nobility and the Military that represent them, but whatever the reason they came to lash out at soldiers regardless of what symbol they wore. They fought like wolves, attacking as a pack from three directions. They stole gear, learned to operate it for themselves, reeked immeasurable havoc, badly maimed and even killed quite a few good men. Then they made the mistake of attacking me." He grinned at the memory. "He told me later that I was the first Scout they ever attacked; they hadn't expected an opponent whose skills in battle were still sharp."

"Did you arrest them?"

"I would have, but I gave them the option of becoming soldiers instead."

"What about those friends of his. If they're around, how come I've never seen them?"

"Isabelle and Farlan are dead. They have been for years." Turning around at the quiet voice, Hanji found him standing in the doorway. "I couldn't protect the only real family I'd ever had the one time it really mattered, and because of that failure I'm alone. Fitting punishment, I think." Advancing on the desk, he added simply in the direction of the Commander "you wanted to speak to me?"

"Past actions aside, I know you don't take pleasure in taking Human lives and would never do so without a damn good reason, so I'm not even going to bother asking you why; seeing her bruises was enough. All that I'm going to ask you to give me is the truth. Did you do it?"

"…" he sighed. "Yes. I dragged him out and pushed him into the pen. I did it, I don't regret it, and I'd do it a thousand more times if that was what it took to keep her safe."

Slowly, Erwin nodded. "Very well. That's all I needed to hear. Listen, both of you."

"Commander?"

"This conversation never happened."

**Eren's POV**

"Mikasa, ouch! Let go!" An hour after curfew I found myself being dragged out of bed and spirited away down the corridor by my adopted sister. "Where are you taking me?"

"Quiet down! You'll get us caught," she hissed, opening a door and pushing me inside.

"There he is!"

"Leave it to Yeager to hold us up!"

Looking up from my position on the floor, I found Jean and Reiner standing over me. "Can I ask what the hell this is about?"

"A meeting of the 104th." Reiner replied, pulling me to my feet. Looking around, I saw Connie and Sasha, Jean and Reiner, Bertold and Annie, Ymir and Christa, Mikasa and Armin, who was holding a uniform jacket that clearly didn't belong to him; the only one missing was…

"Where's (name)."

"'Training'. Besides, she's the subject of this meeting." Mikasa replied quickly. "Something isn't right about all of this."

"What do you mean?"

"Exhibit one," Ymir gestured to the jacket that Armin was holding. "A uniform jacket belonging to none other than the resident clean freak."

"I don't follow."

"She was wearing it over her nightgown when she showed up back at the dorm just before dinner." Mikasa explained.

"And you're sure it's his?" it all seemed unlikely to me.

"Who else in a 100 mile vicinity do you know of who is 5'3" and smells of bleach?"

"…Ok, I'll admit that one, but what's your point?"

"She was wearing it over a skimpy little nightgown, Yeager!" Reiner bellowed, bursting out laughing. "I can see it now; her bent over the desk with him behind, pounding-!"

"WE GET IT!" Jean actually looked a little pale at the thought. "I asked her if anything was going on a while back, and she said no. But she did tell me that, in a private setting, he's a lot less of a hard ass. Maybe he found her sleep walking of something."

"Did you hear about how he was getting investigated for that Noble's death. You know, the one that was supposed to marry (name)."

"The one that was beating the shit out of her?" Jean replied. "Yeah; I'm glad he's dead, and if he did kill him than I'd like to personally congradulate him for having the balls to do what we should have!"

"He can't be responsible; he was with Hanji and Commander Erwin the entire night!" I cut in. "Even Humanity's strongest soldier can't be in two places at once!"

"Now she doesn't have to leave, so whatever happened doesn't really matter to us right?" Armin added.

"But what if it's true what they say?"

"Simple, don't piss him off."

"Guys, this is ridiculous!" I snapped, rolling my eyes. "You're all turning into a bunch of conspiracy theorists! What's the point of all of this!?"

"The point?" Bertold repeated. "Simple; if he's using his power in a way that isn't proper, we owe it to (name) to stop him. She is our friend, after all."

"…Just for the public record, I think all of you have lost your minds. But you're right. If something is going on her-and I'm not saying that there is, but if something is-then we need to help her."

"We're in agreement then?" Christa yelped excitedly. "Operation Snoop is in affect?"

"Operation Snoop?"

"Shut up, Yeager! We couldn't think of any better names!" Jean snapped at me.

"Yes, it's in full effect."

"We should get back; there's no guarantee that she won't come back before midnight, and if she catches us we could have a problem. Who knows what he's threatened to do if someone finds out." Armin pointed out. We all nodded, making out way back to the dorms; half way there we all had to duck in cover to avoid running head first into Gunther and Eld, who were standing just outside the door of the girl's dorm.

"I still don't understand why we had to do this!" Eld grumbled.

"Because if Oluo did it and got caught he'd look like a pervert," Gunther replied.

"And we wouldn't? Why couldn't Petra do it? At least her excuses for being caught in the girl's dorm wouldn't sound half-assed!"

"She's been a bit jumping around him lately."

"Nervous? Are you serious? How long have we been in his squad!"

"She walked in on Heichou in a rage that would put a beserking 15 meter to shame; she said he broke his mirror, upturned his desk, tore half of his clothes and crushed a poor innocent tea set to dust. That he looked…the word she used was homicidal."

"All this over some noble? I thought he hated people from Sina."

"So did I, but I guess a nice ass changes things. Have you SEEN her?"

"No, and I'd stop looking if I were you before the Captain catches you and rips your eyes out. He already…I don't want to end up in a Titan pen, so let's agree to tread lightly around this girl."

"Heichou? Feed someone to a Titan? Are we talking about the same man?"

"…Well, it's just a rumor."

"Whatever. I'm beat; I don't know about you, but I'm not waiting around out her for her to get back. I'm gonna hit the hey."

"Wait for me!"

Once both of them were gone, we left out hiding place and piled into the room. Sitting on the pillow of (name)'s bed was a single red rose; tucked beneath its blood red petals was a note that read_Je t'aime, dors bien_ (1) in curling script. Jean picked up the dethorned flower with a grim look on his face.

"Tomorrow night, we follow them."


	7. You know what they say about curiousity

7: You Know What They Say About Curiousity

1 – my love

Jean's POV

Of course I was the first to bite the bullet, as it had been my idea after all. But of course I also had the terrible luck of pulling Reiner as my survey partner. Perfect.

"If you get us caught, Braun-."

"Shut it, Horse Face! The only one talking right now is you!"

Biting my tongue and falling silent, I glared at him for a moment before turning my attention back to one of the subjects of our surveylance who stood under a nearby tree and looked quite displeased by the fact that the constant rain was transforming the ground into a thick soupy mud. The sound of approaching splashes drew both his attention and our own as she came out of the trees, long hair flying in her wake.

"S-S-Sorry Levi! I misplaced my 3D Gear, so it took me awhile to collect myself."

Rolling his eyes and snickering softly, he reached out and began to play with her hair; first name basis? Lance Corporal Clean Freak voluntarily _touching_ someone? We were definitely on to something here. "Always so forgetful, (name). I only hope that you'll be able to correct that flaw before you set out on your first mission."

"I'd need to be assigned a squad before I worry about any of that."

"I'd think it rather obvious by now what squad you'll be in." Gathering her hair behind her neck, he pulled a band from around his wrist with his teeth and tied it back gently. "I've told you many times that I love your hair down, but as we'll actually be using 3D Gear practically tonight, having it down will likely cause you problems."

"Of course you'd have been prepared for that."

He flashed a slight smile in return. "Of course you wouldn't be, (1) mon amour. But we've wasted enough precious time; being out in this squall too long will murder our health." Between one blink and the next he'd used his gear to swing gracefully up into the nearest tree. "Join me?"

C-Coming!" She almost knocked him off the branch when one of her hooks went astray and would have overshot and flown off into nothingness had his arms not shot out to catch her. If the situation had permitted I had no doubt that Reiner would have been on the floor laughing; as it was he was blue in the face from the effort of trying to hold it back.

"You're aim is terrible, your form is graceless and your landing looks like shit."

"I'm sorry!"

"Don't apologize! Apologizing doesn't fix it!" He smacked her lightly on the forehead with his knuckles in a gesture that was both scolding and affectionate. "Try again."

This was going to be a long night.

Meanwhile, in the girl's dorm…

Armin's POV

"We can't just wait up for them; neither Eld nor Gunther are stupid!" Eren grumbled, his lithe body propped up against the wall and his arms folded over his chest. "If they see us they'll say that they're on curfew enforcement, yell at us to go to bed, and come back later when they're sure that we're asleep."

I could help but agree with him as I sat on the floor, leaning against Mikasa's bed. Outside it was raining; flashes of lightning illuminated the silver drops that streaked the window as the wind howled and thunder rumbled outside. I could only thank the Gods I hadn't drawn for survalence duty tonight. Christa was lying on her bed with Ymir at her feet and a book open in front of her, but I could tell that she wasn't reading it from the fact that she hadn't turned a page in the past half-hour. Sasha, as per the norm, was eating again, likely something stolen that she had squirreled away. Mikasa was on her bed, leaning against the head board with her knees pulled up to her chest. Connie and Bertold, like me, were sitting cross legged on the ground. I wasn't entire sure where Annie had gotten off to. And as for Jean and Reiner…freezing in the rain, presumably.

"What choice do we have?"

"Well, we could always have some of the girls pretend to sleep and see if they come in; once they're gone, they can copy down whatever is on the card and give it to me to translate. There must be a book on the French language somewhere in the library."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Eren said, pushing himself off the wall and beginning to dig shamelessly through (name)'s stuff until he uncovered the first card. "I'll go with you to look for that book."

We left together, eager to avoid any possibility of being caught in the girl's dorm rooms far after curfew even if it meant leaving Bertold and Connie to possibly deal with the fall out alone. We had to remain on our toes if we were to avoid running into any of the superior who were likely still wide awake with many hours to go before they even considered sleep; thankfully only one close call with Hanji troubled us before we reached our destination and slipped inside. "The book should be over here," I said, setting off towards the most likely shelf located in the far corner of the library with Eren trotting behind. Reaching said shelf, we both began to search.

"What do you think of all of this, Armin?" he asked suddenly; when I turned to look at him I was confronted with his curious teal-green eyes.

"I'm not convinced that there's any impropriety, but there is definitely something more than the typical relationship of superior and soldier going on between them." I replied. "Mikasa is almost gungho about all of this being by force-we all know she doesn't like the Lance Corporal much because of what he pulled in court-and so I'm in it to make sure she doesn't get too carried away."

"Yeah, you're right." He fell silent for a moment. "The cards are probably his poor attempts at flirting; "you're the only dirty thing I like" or "you remind me of bleach" or something stupid and cleaning related."

"Here it is!" I announced, pulling out the book that I'd been looking for. Flipping to the index, I swiftly found the page that I was looking for and flipped to it, scanning the small font for the correct translation. "Well?" Eren finally prodded, unable to take not knowing any longer. "What does it say?"

"Je t'aime, dors bien."

"And that means."

"I love you; sleep well."

Your POV

You were bother covered in mud and rain by the time you made it back to his office, hiding your face in the crook of his neck in shame and well aware that you were leaving a trail of tiny blood droplets on his wooden floor.

"What am I going to do with you, (name)?" he asked with a sigh, setting you down on the couch in his office.

"I-it's only a scrape!"

"A scrape is all it takes; if you don't get it cleaned, you'll get infected, develop necrotizing gang-green and your leg will fall off."

"W-What!?" horror flashed through you, swiftly replaced by annoyance as you realized he was laughing at you. "That isn't funny, Levi!"

"Maybe not from your position," he snarked, easily dodging the kick you aimed at his head. "I do need to treat it though, so try and stay still." Opening one of the drawers of his desk and removing a small first aid kit, he pulled out a cotton ball, a roll of bandages and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. Tearing the already tattered beyond repair leg of your uniform off at the knee, he soaked the cotton ball in the hydrogen peroxide and gently began dabbing at the open flesh; it burned as the substance foamed up into a thin layer of white, and you gritted your teeth against a hiss of pain, trying to focus on his warm calloused hands gliding across your skin instead. It was quite a relief when the bandages were wrapped around the wound and the sharp pain subsided to a dull throbbing ache. It took you a moment of staring at his hands, which had fallen still, to realize that he was watching you with unconcealed softness in his eyes.

"What?"

"Nothing." Caught out, he rose to his feet quickly. "I have paperwork."

"Can I stay?"

Once again, the corners of his thin lips pulled into a smile. "I wasn't aware that paperwork was a spectator sport, but if you really wish to stay I won't stop you." Crossing the room, he pulled a tea set from within a cabinet. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes please, if you're already making some. I don't want to be any trouble for you."

"You're never trouble to me, no matter how hard you may try to be. Love is strange that way, I suppose." A few minutes of the soft tinkering of China later and a cup of hot tea was set before you. "If you want to go and grab a book from the library you can; everyone knows better than to stop you, and if some stupid shit tries tell them it was on my order that you go to the library to get a book on Titan Theory to…you can't walk yet, can you?"

"Uh…not really."

"Well, what do you normally read?"

"Huh?"

"Books, (last). I'll go and get one for you myself, but I need to know what you usually read."

"Oh, it doesn't really make a difference but…you don't have to-."

"Of course I don't have to, but I want to. And once I decide I want to do something, telling me to stop is nothing more than wasting your breath. Try not to maim yourself any further in the ten minutes that I'm gone." And just like that he disappeared, leaving you sitting there on the couch in his office alone.

Levi's POV

It was only after arriving in front of the enormous shelf filled floor to ceiling with salvaged works of fiction that I realized exactly how much of a mistake agreeing to 'surprise her' had been. I had no idea where to even start; what authors she liked. Which ones she hated. What books she'd already read. I finally just chose three of my personal favorites-Tale of Two Cities, Call of the Wild and Scarlet Letter-and was about to exit the library when I heard a hiss of what sounded like 'shit' and saw a familiar shape duck behind a reference book.

"Oi, brat! What the hell are you doing out of bed at one in the fucking morning!?" I snarled as the rather mortified brunet poled his head guiltily back around the corner.

"W-We couldn't sleep sir, so we decided to do something productive with our extra time."

"We?" I repeated. "Who else is over there?"

"Me, sir." As I came around the corner of the shelf I found Arlert sitting on the floor with a book on the French Language open in his lap as he desperately tried to conceal something behind his back.

"What are you hiding, Cadet?"

"I…I don't-!"

"HAND IT OVER, CADET!" Hesitant and shaking, looking like he was signing his own death warrant, he slowly extended one arm out to me with an all too familiar card clutched in his hand; I recognized my own handwriting instantly. Little snooping bastards. Sure it wasn't like it was the worst thing they could have done; we were both of age and both consenting, but on top of rumors running rampant and it just looking too damn suspiscious right after I'd offed her abusive fiancé, can't a guy have a reasonable expectation of at least a little bit of privacy. "Come with me." I dragged them back towards my office by their shirt collars, correctly suspecting the Dumb 1 and Dumb 2 weren't alone in their half-assed sluthing. A small puddle of rainwater on the floor where there shouldn't be one gave them away, and I conjured Braun and Kirstein from within a broom closet as if by magic. "And yet I have the feeling more are hiding somewhere. If the lot of you want to live to see tomorrow, I suggest you start ratting. NOW!" For a moment the four young men struggled with their honor, but it wasn't long before, defeated, they told me everything. All for one and one for all? When push came to shove it was every man for himself, and I used that to my fullest advantage.


	8. They Never Learn

Jean's POV

"We're screwed," Reiner muttered under his breath as we sat glumly at breakfast, predictions of years of stable duty causing us to lose our appetite. "Of course he had to go to the library instead of her. If she'd caught them we'd have gotten away with it a while longer."

"We're all doomed," Yeager moaned from my left, flopping down on the table with dark circles under her eyes; I was pretty sure I didn't look any better. The four of us had been subjected to a pre-punishment, forced to stand in salute all night with our noses pressed against the cold stone wall, and the little traitor too pleasure in throwing erasers at us if she thought we might be starting to fall asleep. "We may as well just get used to sleeping in the stables on a pile of hey. We'll all die in there; our bodies will be eaten by the horses and no one will know!"

"We don't have the horses of Diomedes in the stables; this isn't ancient Greece!"

"You're not going to chicken out of this, are you?" We both looked up and fixed Mikasa in a disbelieving stare.

"Are you serious? He already caught us once, do you really want to risk it?"

"I knew she was crazy, but I didn't realized your sister had a death wish too." Reiner grumbled.

"We have to get to the bottom of this."

"I think we have; like I said, she seemed even more pissed at us than he was if something like that is even possible."

"Ever heard of Stockholme's Syndrome?" Christa snapped back.

"He didn't kidnap her and he isn't holding her hostage so that can't be what it is."

"Well, in theory-."

"_Shut it, Arlert! You're just giving the crazies validation!"_

"If you want to continue to risk your necks by doing that go ahead, but I'm out." I grumbled, turning away.

"Me too. I'm already on his squad so he can really make it hell for me if he wants to."

"I'll still help, but it don't want to get directly involved."

"Don't think I'm dropping out; I'm not a coward like Yeager and Horseface." Reiner snickered. "I need to know just as much as you girls do."

"Though doubtlessly for different reasons," this earned Bertold a kick to the shin from his friend.

"Whether we're going to continue going through with this or not, we should find a difficult subject fast." Ymir warned. "Incoming."

Sure enough there was the Corporal, striding towards them with the Commander at his side.

"Report to Zoe you little shits," was all he said. We all exchanged glances; so cleaning duty wouldn't be our punishment? None of us had any doubt that this would turn out to be really bad.

Levi's POV

"Remind me again why it is that you diverted their punishment to helping Shitty Glasses and her crazy scientists?" I growled, watching them nervously file out of the mess hall and down the hall towards said mad-scientist's office.

"Because, as she won't be present from tomorrow morning until late on Monday, he assistants need, well, assistance." He waited a few moments for my reaction, only to continue speaking when he didn't receive one. "I thought that it would be more than sufficient punishment, especially considering that their snooping was for good cause."

"You know what they say abaout curiousity…but handing them over to those nutcases on a silver platter seems almost too harsh." I said. "_Almost."_

"Is that what has you so bothered?"

"No."

"Then what is?"

"You circumvented me, again; you're the Commander, you do have that power of that fact I'm well aware, but you've never but for recently exercised it and both times it's been against me."

"The first time was to stop you doing something you'd regret later. This time was to free up your schedule so that you can accompany us to the festivities in Sina."

"Hell no!"

"Levi, with your title, you're a symbol of hope in times as dark as these. Your presence has been specifically requested."

"So they can try and corner me!"

"Sir Hendrick was not well liked; a viscous back stabber even amongst the sharks of the noble class. I can assure you that the matter has been dropped."

"Dropped?"

"The members of the Military Police tend to become corrupt after so long. Bribes go far, and it seems that more than a few of those he crossed gladly paid the cost and then some to make all of this go away."

"I'm not going to be dragged to some shitty farce, dropped or not!"

"Even if you can take her with you?"

"A dull as all hell meeting of back biting and bureaucracy? Yes, that's _exactly _what comes to mind upon hearing the word 'Romantic'." Sharp and sour, but I was passed the point of caring. "No wonder you're still single Erwin."

The other grinned at him. "I'll have you know that Hanji has agreed to accompany me as my date."

"And she's just the type of psycho who would find that amusing!"

"The meeting only lasts for the first few hours, followed by the parade. The next day is a banquet and dance."

That stopped me dead in my tracks. "Dance?"

"Yes, a ball dance. Hence the reason all in attendance were asked to bring dates."

A dance. A chance for her to be back home for a while, maybe see her family. A chance for us to get away from the prying eyes of her shit-eating friends. It was, admittedly, an incredible offer. But something still didn't make sense; normally he'd request I'd come, I'd refuse and the matter would be dropped. "What month is it?"

From the expression on his face as he replied "February," I knew that I was getting somewhere."

"And today is the 12th."

"Yes."

"And the dance is on…Christ damn it, Valentine's day!"

"I thought that I would give you a few days away from here to celebrate it; not only are the options here limited, it's highly unlikely that the 104th are finished."

"…If Hanji is stuck in the meeting with us, how will (F/N) get a dress? I assume, from your description, that this dance isn't a denim affair." I said. "Even if she is from the area, I don't like the idea of her wandering around the city alone."

"I didn't think that you would; I asked Petra to join us for a while so she can keep an eye on her."

"…Fine, I'll go. But I'd like to make some preparations of my own, both for the night of the dance and the day following as I assume we'll have that free?"

Erwin held out a strip of paper with a knowing look. "This is the hotel where we'll be staying; the very same where the event is being held. Everything is being covered by the Military Police, just don't go getting too carried away."

"I'm possessed of self-control, thank you very much!" I snapped, walking off with the paper in hand. I had a lot to do and very little time, chief among them alerting her to the fact that she'd be accompanying me into the City later that night.

A few hours later…

Your POV

Of course he'd been expecting you; the door swung open on your first knock to reveal him sitting behind his desk.

"I'm really sorry about last night; if I had known they'd try something like this I'd have just told them the truth in the first place."

"Stupid will think only what it wishes to," he sounded slightly distracted as he attempted to cram a notebook into a drawer without letting you see what was written on the paper. "Having to help take care of Shitty Glasses' pets should straighten at least a few of them out." The drawer slid shut with an abrupt snap and he raised his eyes to yours; tonight they looked blue, like a clear pool of water on a sunny day. "I'm sure that you're wondering why I called you in here only for you to find me-for once-disorganized and scrambling around?"

It was true; the door to his room was open, and through it could be seen an open wardrobe. On the floor was a suitcase, presumably filled with all of the articles of clothing he hadn't discarded in a pile on the floor. "Now that you mention it, it crosses my mind."

"There's a gigantic farce going on in Sina this weekend, starting tomorrow. We are leaving in about three hours-trust me, had I found out any earlier than I had I'd have told you long ago-and I'd like you to come with me as my date to the dance that they're holding."

Had he just asked you on a date? "I-I don't have anything that I can wear to something like that."

"The dance is on Saturday, and we'll arrive early tomorrow morning. Petra is meeting us there; she'll take you shopping while Erwin Hanji and I are stuck in the middle of a mud-slinging match. We should be back by Tuesday morning. Of course, whether or not you come is up to you."

"I'd love to come; it'll be nice to be back home again for a few days. I guess I should pack?"

"Unless you're not planning to bring anything. I wouldn't neccessarilly be opposed to you walking around el-natural in public, other than the fact that other men will see you and I can't have that." The playful possessiveness combined with the blatant connotations of the statement didn't fail to make your face turn red. "Remember to pack your uniform for the parade, my Rose." He sent you out the door with a quick kiss; you had to get to it quickly if you wanted to eat before you had to leave.

Eren's POV

"I never thought there could be anything worse than shoveling horse shit, until I had to shovel Titan shit!" Reiner grunted, straining against the weight of the enormous pile. As for me, I was just thankful that I didn't end up on cage cleaning duty. Pausing in my work of putting down new straw-why they needed straw in the first place I had no idea-I looked up and noticed a carriage trundle to a stop nearby. Looking over at Mikasa I saw her nod and we both carefully crept over and crouched down in the bushes to wait. It wasn't long before the Commander and Hanji emerged from the building, loading their bags in and sitting down inside. Maybe five minutes later Levi, burdened down by two bags, stepped out as well swiftly followed by (f/n).

"You didn't have to carry that for me."

"But you seemed otherwise occupied," he snickered, gesturing to the cookie in her hand. "There are crumbs on your face, love."

"I-I'm sorry!" She looked guilty, but he only laughed.

"Again with that frightened look of yours. One would think that, by now, I'd be at least a little less intimidating." Setting the bags down on the grass, he reached out and gently brushed them away succeeding in turning her face red. He was leaning forward, presumably to kiss her, when Hanji poked her head out of the carriage with a mischevious look on her face that spoke of nothing good.

"If the two of you would rather go back to Shorty's room and 'have desert' we'll just leave without you. Erwin isn't about to explain to the military police that Humanity's strongest soldier's libido made us late!"

"_ZOE!"_ For someone with short legs, Levi could be really fast when he needed to be; he was inside the carriage within seconds, likely making a whole-hearted attempt to throttle Hanji. (F/n) just sighed and shook her head as she picked up the bags he had left behind.

"It's almost as if she forgot the fact we'll be sharing that carriage for the next six hours. This will be a long road trip." She handed the bags over to the Commander before climbing in herself; the door shut and the carriage took off, trundling away and out of reach. Once it was gone I turned to Mikasa and found a stony look on her face.

"So much for your plan." But if I knew anything about Mikasa Ackerman it was that-once they returned-the sabotage would resume with a vengeance. I could only hope that I didn't get dragged into it again.


	9. A Weekend to Remember

**Translation Notes –**

**Mon âme, ma vie, tout ce que je suis pour toi mon amour. – My heart, my soul, all that I am for you my love.**

**Author's Note** - Just looking for a bit of feed back here from you guys on what you'd like to see next after I'm finished with this Levi x Reader fic. I'd like to try writing a Levi x Titan Shifter reader and I have two ideas for how it would go: Option 1: Shift of Heart – A shifter sent in to aid in the effort of bringing down the power system within the walls by assassinating Humanity's Strongest Soldier falls for him instead and most contend with the potentially fatal consiquences for them both? or Option Two: Flügel der Freiheit – Levi had known from the beginning that something was off about her, but he never expected her to be a titan shifter. She claims her only aim is to protect humanity, but how can he trust someone who can transform into the creatures he hates most at will? And how should he address the feelings her near constant presence have begun to bring about? I'll probably end up writing both of them at some point, but if anyone has any preference for which one they want first let me know. ~

Your POV

The greater part of the trip was spent surrounded by the dock aura and stony silence that his presence caused; if there was one thing Hanji could never be bested in, it was putting him into a terrible mood.

"His mood swings effect the weather, I swear!" You muttered to yourself, relieved to finally be out of the cramped and deathly atmosphere. He'd sounded stiff when he'd bid you farewell to attend the meeting ten minutes earlier, and now you sat on the edge of a fountain in the town square, the cold water misting the back of your t-shirt in the cool morning air. People were staring at you as they passed by and it made you feel a little bit uncomfortable but your instruction had been to wait for Petra to collect you, so there you remained until the ginger mercifully appeared out of the crowd.

"Sorry, I got held up a bit in getting here." She apologized, holding out her hand. "Petra."

"(F/n)"

"I've heard a lot about you from Gunther and Eld, but this is the first time we've met. What squad are you in?"

"Uh…none at the moment," you admit, eyes falling to the pavement at your feet as an embaressed blush dusted your cheeks pink. "Special circumstances."

"So I've heard; you've been receiving one on one training from Heichou."

"Only because he lost a bet with Erwin," your attempt at humor fell flat, making you feel even more uncomfortable. It were as if she didn't know quite what to make of you, much like Levi had at first, and the desire to make a good first impression was strong. "He seems to have far more confidence in my abilities than I do."

"You'll likely end up in our squad, then. Once he sees something he likes, there's no stopping him."

"I've noticed."

Silence for a moment between you. "Heichou is like a father to me; you won't hurt him, will you?"

You, who tripped over your own two feet almost daily, hurt Humanity's Strongest Soldier? The idea sounded absurd at first glance, but began to make sense the more that you thought about it. He was far from what you'd call a socially experienced person, and you'd begun to get the feeling that under the surface he was even more broken up than you were.

"You can't promise that I'll never hurt him-the mortality rate in the regiment we're in is still high at 20%, and I'd rather sure he'd be sad if I died-but I swear to you that, so long as it is within my power, I will never cause him pain."

She smiled at you then, coppery brown eyes going from cold to kind. "That's all I needed to hear. I hope that we can be friends; we'll doubtlessly have to work together after all."

"Friends sounds good. It'll be a relief to be around someone who doesn't want to snoop into our business."

"So that's why the rest of the 104th ended up cleaning out the Titan pens?"

You nod. "So I've heard, though I doubt it'll put a stop to all of them."

"It shows that they care about you."

"It's annoying."

She laughed. "What?"

"No wonder the two of you get along so well." Was all that she said. "Do you have any idea what kind of dress that you want?"

"I…haven't really thought about that." You admit as she takes the lead through the streets. "I suppose I don't care what it looks like as long as I don't end up looking like a child!"

"Well you're expected back for the parade at 6 this evening, and it's 9 in the morning now; that gives us 9 hours to find you the perfect dress. Let's get started!" Petra dragged you into every clothing store that you came across, leading you to the dressing rooms and handing you piles of dresses; orange satin with a cut out back, metallic pink with a slit up the side, a traditional black dress, a floral patterned one which you both swiftly decided was much too short to be anywhere close to decent and many others until after somewhere around 7 hours you ended up in a long silk dress as blue as the midnight sky and a pair of silver flats that made you look graceful, at least while you were standing still. "I think we've found your dress." Standing in line another twenty minutes more, after buying the dress Petra set off back to headquarters and you scrambled back to the hotel to change into your uniform before the parade began. The thought of standing on top of an enormous float in salute with hundreds of people staring at you for a few hours was daunting at first, but soon enough you were leaning against Levi with just short of enough weight to ruin your posture and just enough weight to almost push him over, managing to pull a smile to his lips and pin it there. By the end of things you and Hanji had broken salute and leaned so far over the edge of the float to wave that both men were forced to break salute as well to prevent them from falling off. The following day saw you trapped in a room with Hanji for the better part of six hours as said mad scientist did your hair and makeup. Finally, with no time to spare, you were released from her clutches and into his arms. By that point he was waiting in the lobby, dressed in a much more flagrant version of the usual uniform; a black jacket with golden tassels with which he looked anything but happy. Catching sight of you, his expression settled into a smile.

"You're beautiful," he purred, taking in the graceful fit of the deep blue dress, the (color) eye liner that intensified your (e/c) eyes, the almost sanguine red lipstick and the faint-though, knowing you, unneeded-dusting of blush over your cheeks. Your hair had been pulled up into a complex style by a swarm of masterfully hidden hair pins that poked you in the scalp every time you moved your head the wrong way and your nails had been painted the color of sapphires to match your dress. "Close your eyes." You obeyed without thinking, trusting him so completely by this point despite your past. Something thin and cold slithered across your neck, accompanied by his warm fingers securing it behind you. Looking down, you found a beautiful silver necklace-a stylized heart inset with diamonds-resting at the hollow of your throat.

"Levi, this is too-!"

He quieted you gently with a soft kiss. "I don't want to hear a word about it, (f/n). No matter what you say in protest, it won't stop me from buying you gifts."

"You spoil me."

"And I love every minute of it." His warm calloused hand cupped your face, thumb absently tracing the shape of your bottom lip. For a long time you stood that way, his eyes-grey tonight, but with flecks of blue threaded through them like star bursts-into yours. Then he stepped back slightly and took your hand. "We'd better make our appearance on the dance floor before four eyes gets it in her head that we've flown the coop." Leading you across the room, he turned back as he reached the entrance of the ball room. "Tonight I plan to show you just how much I love you; in just four more hours I'll give you the greatest gift I can, everything that I am. Four more hours, and the night belongs to us." He threw open the door to reveal sparkling golden tile floors, beige painted walls and enormous gothic-style windows. A magnificent chandelier hung from the ceiling above, crystals dripping off it like droplets of rain frozen in time. Dancers crowded the floor, whirling gracefully left and right; all of the men were wearing the same attire while the woman were in dresses of varying colors. A grand piano stood in one corner and a band was playing music. His strong hand pulled you closer to him, the other falling to your waist. "Came to dance?" Without waiting for your answer he pulled you along with him to join the countless others. The sound was pleasant, bright and happy but wasn't one you could recognize off the top of your head; you shrieked with surprised laughter when he lifted you off your feet and twirled you through the air in time with those around you. "So graceful on the dance floor, and yet on the battle field-."

"Hey!"

"Don't take it personal, love. You're still in training. Don't forget the promise that I made to you."

"Me coming anywhere near your level isn't possible!"

"I still have eight months to prove you wrong, though I'd be willing to bet I can do so in six."

"I doubt."

"Is that a challenge?"

You felt yourself smiling again despite it all. "What would you do if I told you that it was?"

"Prove you wrong, obviously." There was an almost mischevious tone to his reply as the song ended. "There's Erwin; on top of letting them know we're here we should grab something to eat, the banquet is about to start."

"Is it alright if we dance more later?" you asked, somewhat pleadingly.

"For as long as you want," once clear of the dance floor it was much easier to spot the tall blonde form of the Commander not far ahead.

"There the two of you are!" Hanji squealed, the skirt of her short magenta dress whirling around her knees. "I was worried you'd flown off to your love nest early, love birds!"

"Hanji!" Levi warned.

"Come, come, both of you over here! Petra wants a picture and I promised her I'd take one."

"A permanent memento of me in this monkey suit?" He scoffed. "I think not, four eyes! What if those shit-eating cadets get their hands on it!"

"I think you look good in it," you told him, making Levi roll his eyes.

"See, you look fine? And don't you trust Petra to be able to keep it from them."

"I don't even trust _myself_ to keep it from them!"

"Come on Shorty, just one picture. You don't even have to smile!"

"…"

"I think you're both well aware of the fact she won't drop the subject until you agree." Erwin pointed out."

With a heavy sigh Levi finally relented. "Fine, _one_ picture! But I will get you back for this Shitty Glasses!" He growled, reluctantly submitting to the picture while wearing his familiar, expressionless mask.

"Was that so hard?"

"Don't talk to me, four eyes!" Turning towards you he said, in a slightly gentler tone, "the Banquet is apparently in the next room. Let's go and get something to eat."

"Good to see that he hasn't really changed at all," Erwin said as he fell into step beside you and Levi with Hanji on his heels. "I've been worried about him for a long time now; it's nice to see he's finally found someone. You're good for him, Cadet."

"If you're not careful you'll start sounding sappy." Levi grunted, making you laugh.

"You're not the only one to tell me that, Commander," you told him, thinking back to your conversation with Petra the day before.

"I'm sure that you can relate to at least some of what he's been through. But, unlike him, you didn't close off your heart to the world. Slowly but surely, you're teaching him to open up again. Before these past few days, I've never seen him smile so much."

Moments later they were sitting down at an enormous table draped in a white table cloth creaking beneath the weight of an enormous amount of food.

"I have no idea what half of this shit is, so I hope it doesn't taste like shit." But of course the M.P wouldn't serve it if it did. The four filled their plates and began eating; Hanji, after about four glasses, of wine, was more than a little bit drunk and babbling nonstop about Titans. Finally unable to take it anymore after almost an hour Levi all but leapt to his feet. "You said that you wanted to dance more? Let's go and do that." So back onto the dance floor you went.

"You don't like Hanji much, do you?" you asked him. He shrugged.

"I know it doesn't seem like it, but we're friends…I guess. She doesn't know when to shut the hell up and I'm not exactly the most tolerant person. My patience only extends so far which makes it all too easy for her to get under my skin."

"She means well, I'm sure."

"As I am, but…I suppose I'm just intolerant."

"People have said that about you so much that you're starting to believe them!" He raised an eyebrow and you chuckled. "You've put up with me for a long time."

"Because I'm in love with you." As if to excentuate that fact, he leaned in to kiss you chastely once again earning a few titters from those around you. The two of you dances together for a few more songs, then you looked up at him again and smiled.

"Why don't we go back to the room early?" you asked him. "People are starting to stare at us."

"Sounds like a good idea to me." He lead you out of the ballroom and back up the stairs to the hotel room; you'd guessed from Hanji's earlier words that he'd had something planned, and you hadn't been wrong. During the time you'd been at the dance the room had been transformed from high-end-but-ordinary to a perfect romantic suite. A bucket of ice containing a bottle of champagne, a bowl of chocolate covered strawberries and a pair of crystal glasses sat on the table before the love seat that had been pulled up before the fire that blazed in the stone hearth. "Happy Valentine's day." He gently removed the pins and ties from your hair, allowing it to fall freely about your shoulders; he ran his fingers through it to smooth out the curls. "That looked like it was starting to get uncomfortable."

"A little bit," you admitted, going to sit on the love seat by the fire as he removed his jacket and shoes before going to sit beside you and drawing you into an embrace.

"Erwin wasn't kidding when he said you were good for me." He said quietly after a moment as you nestled closer against his chest. "I have to admit that I'm still a touchy insufferable bastard, but not quite as much of one as I was before you came into my life. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, I want you to know that. I don't want to hold anything back from you."

"I feel the same way," You told him softly after a moment. "Promise me something, ok?"

"Anything."

"From now on, whenever someone says something bad about you don't believe them. Don't let anyone ever take even a day's forth of happiness from you."

"I promise," loosening his grip, Levi leaned forward and opened the bottle of champagne. "Let's have a drink, shall we."

"I'm not 21."

"You don't have to be, you're in the military." Pouring some of the bubbly golden liquid into both glasses, he took one for himself and handed the other to you. "Cheers." Dry. Slightly fruity. It wasn't the worst thing in the world, but you weren't really sure enough of it to even consider seconds. Levi himself didn't seem too fond of it either; finishing only half the glass, he set it aside on the table. You were entirely alone, for the first time in a long while beyond sure that there was no one to walk in on you; the room was warmed by the little fire that gave off the only dim light to illuminate the darkness; his grey eyes were smoldering into the depths of your soul as he closed the distance between you and his lips again claimed yours. It was different this time; a slightly hungrier quality as his tongue flicked across your lower lip, asking for entrance. You allowed it hesitantly, a light shiver going through you as he plundered your mouth, exploring every inch of it as if unable to get enough of your taste. He only pulled away when the need for air became too much to ignore, but the lack of contact lasted only a few moments. His lips were back on yours within a matter of seconds before he trailed them down along your jawline and began to gently suck on your neck. You let out a moan which surprised the both of you as he came to one spot in particular that was more sensitive that other areas and felt him grin. "Found your sweet spot, have I?" His warm wet tongue ran up over your skin gently a moment before he bit down, leaving a blue-black bruise behind. Once the love-bite was to his liking he moved on, grazing his teeth along your collar bone before trailing a string of butterfly kissed across your chest until he reached the end of the neck-line of your dress and let out a quite growl of frustration. "I do love your dress, you look beautiful in it, but I'm afraid it has to go." Levi swept you up into his arms before you could even realized what was going on and carried you bridal style towards the bed. Setting you gently down on it, he pulled down the zipper on the back and gently slid the silk fabric off you. Suddenly embarrassed at being seen in only your underclothes, you curled around yourself with a small squeak. Levi gently took your wrists and pryed them away from you, nothing but adoration in his eyes. "Don't. You're beautiful." He stroked your face lovingly for a moment. "Do you want me to stop?"

"N-No!" Perhaps the answer came a little too quickly. Levi's lips quirked upwards slightly.

"May I?" you nodded hesitantly after a moment and his hand slid behind you again to undo the clasp on your bra and toss it away to join your dress on the floor. His warm lips resumed their journey downwards as he reached up to gently stroke your right breast as he took the other in his mouth. Again unable to control yourself, a moan escaped you as an unfamiliar but pleasant feeling began to build in your lower regions. After a few minutes of this he released you and pulled back slightly, carefully slipped two fingers below the waistband of your underwear to investigate and your body jerked slightly as it slid into you up to the second knuckle and you screwed your eyes shut against the weird but not entirely unpleasant feeling. A moment later the finger withdrew to be replaced with his mouth, tongue slipping inside as well as he hummed and sent vibrations up through your core.

"Levi!" Your body was shaking, and it came out as a whimper.

"Yes?" he purred, slowly moving back up to your lips; the change in position lead to the bulge now present in his pants to poke you in the leg. "Is something the matter?"

"Yes! Why am I the only one almost completely undressed!"

"Hmm," he seemed to think about this for a moment. "Good question." That said he ripped off his shirt, sending quite a few buttons flying across the room, and tossed it aside quickly followed by his pants and boxers to leave himself entirely exposed. "A much better question is why do you still have your underwear on, love?" Hooking one finger under the waistband, he slipped them off you. "That's better. Now we're even." You reached up and twined your fingers in his soft black hair, pulling his lips back down to yours as he ground his naked hips against yours and a delicious friction shot through you.

"Lance Corporal, please! Stop teasing me!"

Levi snickered softly, but obeyed your request; a searing pain made you whimper softly as he buried himself to the hilt, making your eyes water. He held himself perfectly still, your chests brushing against each other as you breathed, sweat dripping down both your forms. "Whenever you're ready."

"J-just move!" The moment he did the pain intensified to be almost unbearable before plunging you downwards into a sea of pleasure you'd never known to exist. Colors were brighter through the dim light as the realization that there was nothing left to separate the two of you fully set in. It were almost as if you could see into his soul as you felt his heart thudding against yours, feel the true depth of his love for you as if it were something physical that you could reach out and touch. The room just kept growing hotter, the windows fogging up as the sheets were soaked through and moans and grunts and pants filled the otherwise quiet air. Finally, just when it seemed you couldn't take it anymore, your vision went white and you saw stars. Spent and exhausted Levi pulled out and rolled off of you, his chest rising and falling in time with his heavy breathing. Nestling against him, you rested your head on his chest and smiled a little at the sound of his slowly calming heart beat; his warm hand came to rest on the small of your back. "I love you Levi."

"As I love you." He replied sleepily. "Mon âme, ma vie, tout ce que je suis pour toi mon amour." A few seconds later his eye lids slid closed and his breathing evened out. With a contented sigh you closed your eyes and followed his lead, drifting off into a deep and dreamless sleep.


End file.
